Draw span locking device



Aug. 21, 1956 c, L Y 2,759,430

DRAW SPAN LOCKING DEVICE F'iled June 12, 1953 INVENTOR CZarcrzce P Kelsey BY AF 7% 77a1/zm; flaw/n $40M ATTORNEY$ United States Patent DRAW SPAN LOCKING DEVICE Clarence P. Kelsey, Tampa, Fla. Application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,245

4 Claims. (Cl. 104--131) The present invention relates to locking devices for the miter rails of draw spans having railway tracks extending thereover.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved locking device for draw spans, which locking device will effect a positive lock that releasably engages the miter rails of the draw span in their downwardly swung positions.

Another object is to provide a locking device for draw spans which will be so designed as to effect the locking of the miter rails -by means of the simultaneous extension of shaped keys through key-receiving openings of wedge plates carried by the miter rails.

Another object is to provide a locking device as described in which remote control means for operating the keys simultaneously will be provided, said remote control means being readily operable with a minimum of difliculty, so as to insure that the locking and unlocking of the miter rails can be brought about with a minimum loss of time.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a draw span, of a locking device formed in accordance with the present invention, and a portion of a mainland installation adjacent said draw span;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, the miter rails being unlocked, as distinguished from Figure 2 in which the miter rails are locked;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, exploded perspective view of one of the rails and the lock means associated therewith.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied generally in the drawing to a draw span, and the numeral 12 to an adjacent part of a mainland installation. The draw span includes a pair of parallel main span members or supports 14, and supported thereupon are spaced ties 16. The ties 16 underlie the main span stock rails 18, to which miter rails 20 are hingedly connected by links 22. One or more of the cross ties 16 are used to support the inner ends of the miter rails in the lowered position of the miter rails. Underlying the outer or free ends of the miter rails is a fiat base plate 24, the base plate 24 extending from tie end to tie end and being fastened securely to the main span members 14. Cross ties 26 are interposed between the base plate 24 and the outer end portions of the miter rails 20. The cross ties 26 differ slightly from the cross ties 16, in that they are slightly thinner, to provide a space for the base plate 24.

Welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the undersides 2,759,430 Patented Aug. 21, 1956 of the free end portions of the miter rails 20 are depending, flat lock plates 28. Lock plates 28 are of wedge shape, and are preferably formed as triangular members, the apices of said members being pointed downwardly.

In the opposite end portions of the base plate 24, I provide slot-like openings 30, and when the miter rails 20 are swung downwardly to the positions shown in Figure 1, the pointed lower ends of the lock plates 28 will extend downwardly through said openings 30. The openings 30 are in registration with recesses 32 formed in the upper surfaces of the main span members 14, said recesses being provided, as will be apparent from Figure 4, for the purpose of receiving the lower end portions of the lock plates, after the miter rails are swung downwardly.

In the lock plates 28, I form apertures 34. The apertures 34 are of non-circular shape, and are preferably triangular, so as to correspond to the generally triangular shape of their associated lock plates. The apertures 34 will be disposed below the plane of the base plate 24, in the downwardly swung position of the miter rails.

Keys 36 are provided, for engaging the respective lock plates 28. The keys 36 are formed as relatively short bars each of which has a cross sectional configuration complementing that of the aperture 34 through which it is to extend. The shaped keys are thus usable for the purpose of locking the miter rails to the base plates 24, in the downwardly swung positions of the miter rails. The keys 36 are slidably mounted, in this connection, on the undersides of the base plate, the keys being guided within guide brackets 38 bolted or otherwise fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the base plate.

For the purpose of shifting the keys between the locking and unlocking positions thereof shown in Figures 2 and 3 respectively, I provide links 40, said links 4 0 being pivotally connected at their outer ends to the inner ends of keys 36. At their inner ends, the links 40 are pivotally connected to the oppositely extended, longitudinally aligned legs of a double bell crank 42 having a third leg disposed obliquely to said oppositely extended legs thereof. The double bell crank is pivoted upon the underside of the base plate, medially between the opposite ends of the base plate, as at 43.

For the purpose of rocking the double bell crank about its pivot axis, I provide an arm 46, pivotally connected to the leg 44 of said double bell crank. Arm 46, at its outer end, is pivotally connected to the short leg of a single bell crank 48 pivoted at 50 on the underside of the base plate 24. To rock the single bell crank 48 about its pivot 50, an elongated operating rod 52 is pivotally connected to the longer leg thereof. The rod 52 extends to any suitable location from which the locking and unlocking of the miter rails is to be controlled.

It will be readily appreciated that by shifting the rod '52 in the direction of its length in one direction, the keys will be extended in opposite directions, through the apertures 34 of the lock plates 28, thus to lock the miter rails in their downwardly swung positions (see Figure 2). By shifting the rod 52 in an opposite direction, the keys 36 will be retracted to the position shown in Figure 3, thus withdrawing said keys from the apertures 34 and releasing the miter rails for upward swinging movement.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

3 What is claimed is: 1. In a draw span locking device the combination, with paired miter rails mounted for vertical swinging movement relative to the associated support structure of a draw span, of apertured lock plates depending from said rails.

to move into locking recesses of said structure on downward swinging of the miter rails; keys extendable into said apertures to releasably engage the lock plates in the recessses; and means carried by the support structure arranged for effecting conjoint adjustment of the keys to and from their lock-plate-engaging positions.

2. In a draw span locking device the combination, with paired miter rails mounted for vertical swinging movement relative to the associated support structure of a draw span, of a stationary base plate extending transversely of said structure below the miter rails and having transversely spaced locking openings; apertured lock plates depending from said rails to extend into said openings on downward swinging of the miter rails; keys extendable into the apertures of the lock plates below the base plate to releasably engage the lock plates with the base plate; and means carried by the support structure arranged for effecting conjoint adjustment of the keys to and from their lock-plate-engaging positions.

3. In a draw span locking device the combination, with paired miter rails mounted for vertical swinging movement relative to the associated support structure of a draw span, of a stationary base plate extending transversely of said structure below the miter rails and having transversely spaced locking openings; apertured lock plates depending from said rails to extend into said openings on downward swinging of the miter rails; keys extendable into the apertures of the lock plates below the base plate to releasably engage the lock plates with the base plate; links connected to the respective keys; and bell crank v 4 means carried by the support structure arranged for effecting conjoint movement of the links to shift the keys to and from their lock-plate-engaging positions.

4. In a draw span locking device the combination, with paired miter rails mounted for vertical swinging movement relative to the associated support structure of a draw span, of a stationary base plate extending transversely of said structure below the miter rails and having transversely spaced locking openings; apertured lock plates depending from said rails to extend into said openings on downward swinging of the miter rails; keys extendable into the apertures of the lock plates below the base plate to releasably engage the lock plates with the base plate; links connected to the respective keys; a double bell crank connected to the respective links, said bell crank and links being arranged to shift the links outwardly in a direction away from one another, on pivotal movement of the bell crank in one direction, pivotal movement of the bell crank in an opposite direction being effective to shift the links toward one another, said links when shifted away from and toward one another being adapted to move the keys into and out of said apertures; and means for pivotally swinging the bell crank in opposite directions from a location remote therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 543,270 Schuster July 23, 1895 1,332,179 Howard Feb. 24, 1920 1,538,000 Neubauer May 19, 1925 1,932,501 Allman Oct. 31, 1933 2,496,855 Chapman Feb. 7, 1950 2,593,215- Summerhays Apr. 15, 1952 

